Peter Saxton (GBR) Takes The Lead After A Tough Second Day At Zhik SB3 Worlds

2011 Zhik SB3 World Championships

Torquay, Great Britain

It was a tough day on the water on day two of the 2011 Zhik SB3 World Championship. Qualification for the gold and silver fleets is now complete with Peter Saxton (GBR) on Rola-Trac top of the leaderboard.

It's been a tough day on the water on day two of the Zhik SB3 World Championships 2011 for competitors and Race Officers alike. Shifting winds combined with general recalls and last minute abandonments meant a long day on the water for everyone involved. Races 4, 5 and 6 of the championship have now been completed and qualifying for the gold and silver fleets is complete.

After lying second overall at the end of the first day of the Championship, Peter Saxton (GBR) and his crew on Rola-Trac had a poor first race. Clearly undeterred, the Rola-Trac crew got back into the groove for the second and third races, achieving a first and third place in the Orange fleet. Saxton now shows a score card of 1, 5, 2, (36), 1, 3 and leads the Championship by two points.

Italian entry "Stenghele" helmed by Roberto Caresani (ITA) and crewed by Pietro Negri and Enrico Fonda put in a strong performance on the Yellow course. "We had a good day today," explained bow man Enrico, "We've had 3 good races! We won the first race, we lead the first beat and after a gybe set, we literally flew downwind, extending our lead to 200m on the next boat!" Roberto added, "It's been a lucky day and we are very happy with our results."

Craig Burlton (GBR) lies fifth overall going into the gold fleet and finals races. Catching up with Craig and crew after racing, it was clear that they were disappointed with their performance. "It's been a tough day, the wind has been really shifty and we've found the starts hard. The third race today wasn't good and we got stuck in a hole downwind." There are high expectations onboard and their frustration showed. "We've made some stupid mistakes and not quite executed our attack on this event." But fifth overall at this stage of the event isn't too shabby is it?!

Many entrants are still struggling to find their form and continue to battle the vagaries of Tor Bay's wind conditions. 2010 World Champion Jerry Hill arrived in Torquay with high hopes of defending his title, but returned ashore deflated. "It's not been a great day...we were over the line in the first race, seventh in the second and then really deep in the third race today." Hill has sailed in the Laser SB3 class since the beginning and has been a driving force behind the organisation of the World Championship in Torquay. It's unfortunate to see him struggling to find his form and lying in 29th place going into the gold fleet finals.

With the challenging conditions that Tor Bay is providing, it's certain that the winner of the Zhik SB3 Worlds will be a deserving Champion. The standard of the fleet is extremely high and nobody is yet willing to bet their life savings on who will lift the beautiful Waterford Crystal trophy on Friday 20 May. With six qualifying races now complete, the pressure really heats up as the gold and silver fleet finals begin.